Haha, I don't feel so bad now. I wish my cantelopes would take off, but
although my squash and tomatoes are exploding, my melons and cukes are just
poking along at slow speed. I"ve read that squash should be spaced 2-3 feet
apart. phhhttt. My scallop squash plant is easily 6 feet across. My wife is
complaining because it is so big she can't get into it to pick the squash
without being poked in the face by spiny stems and leaves:
http://zootal.no-ip.info/stuff/2006%...s/DSCF4202.jpg
Scallop squash lovers might appreciate this pic
http://zootal.no-ip.info/stuff/2006%...s/DSCF4208.jpg
"betsyb" wrote in message
...
Oh, Matt this is so funny. I am in no better shape than you! I planted
cantelopes just to watch them grow. They sook off and haven't stopped yet!
What the heck do I need 14 melons for? From 6 little plants! Wish I liked
them but my Husband does and he'd best get to eating. We live in a senior
mobile home park and are not allowed gardens for food, only flowers? As if
this makes sense.
Just consider your self lucky, no back yard BBQ's and no lawn mowing till
fall?
--
Betsy
"Matthew Reed" nospam at zootal dot com nospam wrote in message
...
I have learned a very important lesson this year - plant the plants
further apart!! My pumpkins have taken over everything within 15 feet. I
have beans I can't get at to harvest. I have tomatillos that are huge, I
had no idea they would get so big!
http://zootal.no-ip.info/stuff/2006%...s/DSCF4180.jpg
This is a typical shot. You can see a pumpkin bursting out of the corn,
and another one taking up what used to be a pathway I used to be able to
use to walk through the garden.
http://zootal.no-ip.info/stuff/2006%...s/DSCF4137.jpg
With this shot, if you look to the upper right you see a mass of
tomatoes. The pic doesn't show it very well, but it's about 8 plants
growing in a huge mass that I can't hardly get around. I cut the suckers
when I can, and am just letting it grow. Suckers pop up out of the middle
from somewhere down inside, I have no idea where they come from lol. I
don't know what to do with it but just let it grow.
The center is a row of squash that is doing quite well. I thought I was
wasting space with the wide path to the left - now I can hardly walk
through it.
http://zootal.no-ip.info/stuff/2006%...s/DSCF4108.jpg
This is what happens when you throw sunflower seeds into the garden. I
cut out most of them because nothing else wround them was getting any
sun.
So - lesson learned. Wider rows. Give pumpkins a *lot* of room. Plant
tomatoes further apart. And space tomatillos ... maybe 3 feet apart?,
mine are just huge and have crowded out nearby tomatoes and peppers.